Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Hottest Track: MGMT - Time To Pretend

The Kite Runner (Forster, 2007)

The Kite Runner
Directed by Marc Forster
Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Zekeria Ebrahimi, Shaun Toub, Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada, Atossa Leoni
Grade: D

Last month I wrote about the dated but admittedly endearing, and certainly cleverly expressed, ideas of Alan Menken's Enchanted. When I say 'dated', I don't mean that simple values such as love, respect, or honour no longer exist, because of course they do, but that films have moved on from feeling the need to re-iterate this every five minutes. Or at least some have. Marc Forster's The Kite Runner is one that can't help itself but purport the importance of friendship, loyalty and redemption at every snaking of its meager narrative, and one that uses heavily serious issues to do so.

The early attempts at warming the cockles of your heart come through the honest, cute childhood friendship between Afghani boys Amir and Hassan, and are admittedly successful. It's at this point that the nostalgic kite elements are established, ironic as the film hardly aims for the skies, and all is going swimmingly. But when Hassan is sexually assaulted their friendship quickly disintegrates, and the two go their separate ways, prompting the film to shift twenty or so years to Amir's new life as an author in America.

This adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's best-seller ensures that Atonement is not the only film this year essentially about atonement, schematically giving Amir countless reasons as to why he should assuage his guilt, and rescue Hassan's son from the Taliban. Among these: Hassan's death, the impending death of his father, and the revelation that Hassan was actually his brother, making the boy in question his nephew. Somewhere amidst this is a guilt that his creative, quiet personality was never dynamic enough for his father, which is perhaps the deepest The Kite Runner gets to the root of any of its problems, but certainly does not explain why he then suddenly transforms into John Wayne in The Searchers.

The Kite Runner strains in every scene to make something symbolic or meaningful, but doesn't provide any cultural insight whatsoever, and can't manage to create a story convincing enough to live up to the touching central friendship of the boys. It doesn't show any respect towards the hugely serious issues that it brings up, such as rape, terrorism and paedofilia, skirting across them as if they be mere hurdles in a systematic fairytale, convenient and easily-amended. So much of the film wants us to feel some kind of sentimental attachment or recognise some form of achievement, and yet have no lingering remembrance of how, or any depth of knowledge as to why its characters have behaved in the way that they have. It is so offensively simple, using an act of rape in a thoughtless and careless manner, settling for an appalled reaction to its events rather than a consideration of their significance or impact.

Visually striking, The Kite Runner definitely has direction, and you get the impression that the filmmakers understand the story enough, but their efforts are uncontrollably overblown, to the point where their constant seeking of approval becomes distasteful and desperate. In this way Forster and co. feel more like salesmen than filmmakers, ones with banal, disinteresting junk in their inventory, but content to barter their way to the bitter end to offload it.

Monday, January 28, 2008

The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn Is To Link, and Be Linked In Return

On my vague memorised list of blogging New Year's resolutions (the non-blogging ones were less interesting and far too focused on drinking and spending less - boo!) was that I simply must link more. There are so many witty and insightful posts on witty, insightful blogs that both entertain me and motivate me to write more. So it's time I appreciate that. I'm gonna lengthen my list of favourite blogs (on the sidebar) too, because I'm discovering new blogging troves of goodness on a regular basis. ModFab, the cultural haven, points out in an unabashedly rousing post, that nobody links to his blog -- a crime of which I am an offender -- and thus proceeds to unite the blogosphere in an almost Mahatma Gandhi/Martin Luther King-esque fashion (Yes, I just did). Well, it worked, although I'd like to stress that this is one of my resolutions, so I was gonna do this anyway! :-P I'm not so easily influenced, although I could be persuaded by Romulo Arantes Neto (third times always a charm ModFab). I'd happily kidnap this guy, except that that's kind of a role reversal for me... perhaps I could bribe him to kidnap me?

Another of my favourite bloggers, and my ultimate favourite film critic, is Nick Davis. His site NicksFlickPicks just celebrated its 10th anniversary. A major milestone. I surf his site regularly, whether it's to read one of his countless, mind-numbing, and incredibly deep reviews, or to search out a grade for some random 1956 film I've just seen. I was dying to know his thoughts on Come Back, Little Sheba, a film I absoloutely loved. He didn't have a grade up for it, so I e-mailed him and he promptly responded with his thoughts. He's not keen on the film actually but that isn't the point. Haha. A classy, lovely guy. And SO cute.

Also, I simply must single out Nathaniel, who, had I not stumbled upon his brilliant site The Film Experience, back when I was searching out Oscar commentary on 2003's Cold Mountain snub, and way before I even knew about critics awards and precursors, I wouldn't know any of the other bloggers mentioned in this post, and probably wouldn't even have a blog. His podcast with Marisa Tomei endears the pair of them to me, and the SAG dicussion afterwards is great. I don't really have any Oscar obsessives to chat with here in North-East England (cue the violins), and it's kind of comforting to listen to people discuss awards in the way that you see them write about them. If you know what I mean.

So here come a flurry of links that will transport you to a host of beautiful and intelligent people scattered all around the globe...

All About My Movies: Distresses me with her weird infatuation with Peter Crouch, though I do admire your dedication to the sport Emma.

Canadian Ken On...: Actually liked Elizabeth: The Golden Age?! The first person I've seen admit to doing so. Ballsy.

The Cellar Door: Clearly loves this year in film. No quabble with the SAG results and none of Oscar's BP lineup scores lower than an A- grade.

Cutting Room Reviews : Completely trods all over Little Children (pun unintentional) with his brilliant review. I know that's SO last year, but it's the thing I remember most about this neat blog.

The Gilded Moose: Hilariously offensive about John McCains wife. Harsh but he is a republican.

The Glorious Diatribe: Has an in-depth look at next year's possible Supporting Actor candidates. It never ends, does it?

Goatdogblog: Can't begrudge proclaiming 300 as the year's pinnacle in Visual Effects. I feel the same way, however much its aesthetic obsession repelled me.

In The Mood For Blog: Didn't like 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days! Anything to be different.

Joe's Movie Corner: Incorrectly predicted that Cate Blanchett would win the SAG. But then that's no crime. The crime here is who actually did win it (sorry, I did warn of Dee-dissing this month -- I don't care how legendary she is).

Low Resolution: LOVES Anna Faris. And why shouldn't he? Is there anyone better at playing the bimbo?

Mainly Movies: Reminds me how good Sam Rockwell was in Jesse James, with his sixth-place Supporting Actors. One of them is totally making my five (wait till the end of February).

Pink Is The New Blog: Manages to capture Kylie looking fabulous and Mika looking awful. Way to go.

Queering The Apparatus: Finds himself puzzled about some of the Oscar nominations (aren't we all?) and also has a cute boyfriend. I officially hate him.

Rural Juror: Is a bloggie nominee! Awards, Awards, Awards, Awards, Awards. Congrats!

Stale Popcorn: Owes me an apology for depressingly bringing up one of the biggest Oscar injustices ever, the 2003 Supporting Actress gong (and I even like Cold Mountain (which I'm now gonna have to add to the labels seen as I've mentioned it twice already in this post) .. maybe time for a repeat viewing?)

StinkyLulu: Has a wonderful write-up of Atonement's sole nominated Actor, Saoirse Ronan. And thanks again Bri for letting me take part in a Supporting Actress Smackdown. Was great fun!

Strange Culture: Was in the same room as Daniel Day-Lewis. Jealousy is a vast understatement.

Victim of the Time: Makes me ashamed for having not seen Sense and Sensibility, and seems to agree with me about The Kite Runner, a review of which I'll post tomorrow. Hint: It's awful.

O.K. I think that's it. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. If there's anyone I haven't mentioned that links to this blog I'd be more than happy to exercise some more linkage. I'll be adding all these to the sidebar and making a point of linking more often. Signing out...

DGA & SAG Winners

Like everything Awards Season has a place and a time. In some ways I think that it's the perfect length. Just short enough to keep people from going insane, and just long enough to ensure that it's not greatly missed. After all, it's a gruelling process, possibly more for Oscar prognosticators than even the Actors who find themselves attending the ISA, BFCA, Satellite, Globe, SAG... blah blah blah. It's like a race in any sport: anticipation, speculation, competition... twists, turns, and finally the climax, in which the expected winner usually, but thankfully not always, comes out on top. For those involved I'm sure it's more like a dream, but even Ellen Page may be glad to see an end to her rather unconventional party months and a return to vodka and clubbing (not that I'm advocating that type of behaviour of course! ;-)).

In the week leading up to the Oscar ceremony I'll be making my final predictions and attempting to sum up all of the major races. As with every year, some of the categories are sewn up and some aren't. Oscar turned its nose up at the Guilds this year, shunning one of its favourites, Into the Wild, and going with the snubbed Atonement, in turn ensuring only one its big five matched with this year's SAG Ensemble nominees. Unsurprisingly the one match took home the award. Here are the DGA and SAG winners:

DGA -
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country For Old Men

SAG:

Actor in a Leading Role - DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – “There Will Be Blood”
Female Actor in a Leading Role - JULIE CHRISTIE – “Away From Her”
Male Actor in a Supporting Role - JAVIER BARDEM - “No Country For Old Men”
Female Actor in a Supporting Role - RUBY DEE - “American Gangster”
(The world's gone mad)
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
_ JAVIER BARDEM
_ JOSH BROLIN
_ GARRET DILLAHUNT
_ TESS HARPER
_ WOODY HARRELSON
_ TOMMY LEE JONES
_ KELLY MACDONALD

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

R.I.P. Heath Ledger

Wow. BBC reports that Heath Ledger has been found dead, aged just 28 years old. Rumours are that it was an overdose. Just such a shock when this happens. I'm speechless.

It's strange that it should happen on a day like today, which celebrates the best in film. Ledger was by no means my favourite Actor, but he provided some memorable cinematic moments, particularly in his brilliant performance in 'Brokeback Mountain'. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

Nomination Totals

8 Nominations
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

7 Nominations
Atonement
Michael Clayton

5 Nominations
Ratatouille

4 Nominations
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Juno

3 Nominations
The Bourne Ultimatum
Enchanted
La Vie En Rose
Sweeney Todd
Transformers

2 Nominations
3:10 To Yuma
American Gangster
The Assassination of Jesse James...
Away From Her
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
The Golden Compass
Into The Wild
Pirates 3
The Savages

1 Nomination
12
Across The Universe
August Rush
Charlie Wilson's War
The Counterfeiters
Eastern Promises
Gone Baby Gone
I'm Not There
In the Valley of Elah
Katyn
The Kite Runner
Lars and the Real Girl
Mongol
No End In Sight
Norbit
Once
Persepolis
Sicko
Surf's Up
Taxi To The Dark Side
War/Dance

Official Oscar Nominations 2008 & Reaction

Major surprises! I like a lot of these categories, except Actress :'(
My final prediction score was 66/101 (66%), which I'm fairly pleased with, considering there were a few surprises across the board. Three nominated songs for 'Enchanted'?!

Best motion picture of the year


“Atonement”
“Juno”
“Michael Clayton”
“No Country for Old Men”
“There Will Be Blood”

Prediction Score: 3/5
Reaction: YES! YES! YES! Atonement makes it! I was getting worried after Wright was snubbed but thank god. Into The Wild way weaker than people thought.

Achievement in directing

Julian Schnabel - “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
Jason Reitman - “Juno”
Tony Gilroy - “Michael Clayton”
Joel & Ethan Coen - “No Country for Old Men”
Paul Thomas Anderson - “There Will Be Blood”

Prediction Score:
4/5
Reaction: Well obviously they adore Juno, because I believe Reitman's only other nomination is for the ISA. Points for unpredictability though. Juno a contender for the win now?

Best actor in a Leading Role
George Clooney in “Michael Clayton”
Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”
Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah”
Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises”

Prediction Score:
4/5
Reaction:
Wow. Tommy Lee Jones makes it for a performance only previously nominated by the Golden Satellites. A prize for a good year most probably, and a shun to the young contenders to the Actor crown, Hirsch, Gosling and McAvoy. Oscar likes experience here.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role


Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men”
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War”
Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild”
Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton”

Prediction Score:
5/5
Reaction:
Pretty routine, although the lack of love for Into the Wild and surprising lead nom for Jones probably means that Holbrook was close to being ousted for Tommy.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”
Julie Christie in “Away from Her”
Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”
Laura Linney in “The Savages”
Ellen Page in “Juno”

Prediction Score:
4/5
Reaction:
My poor Angelina! :'(

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There”
Ruby Dee in “American Gangster”
Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement”
Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone”
Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton”

Prediction Score:
4/5
Reaction:
FYI the next month will comprise of numerous digs at the overrated cameo of the now Oscar-nominated Ruby Dee.

Best animated feature film of the year

“Persepolis” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney)
“Surf's Up” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Prediction Score: 2/3

Achievement in art direction

“American Gangster”
“Atonement”
“The Golden Compass”
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
“There Will Be Blood”

Prediction Score:
3/5

Achievement in cinematography

“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”
“Atonement”
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“No Country for Old Men”
“There Will Be Blood”

Prediction Score: 5/5

Achievement in costume design

“Across the Universe”
“Atonement”
“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”
“La Vie en Rose”
“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

Prediction Score:
3/5

Best documentary feature

“No End in Sight”
“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience”
“Sicko”
“Taxi to the Dark Side”
“War/Dance”

Prediction Score: 3/5

Best documentary short subject

“Freeheld”
“La Corona (The Crown)”
“Salim Baba”
“Sari’s Mother”

Achievement in film editing

“The Bourne Ultimatum”
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“Into the Wild”
“No Country for Old Men”
“There Will Be Blood”

Prediction Score: 3/5

Best foreign language film of the year

“Beaufort” (Israel)
“The Counterfeiters” (Austria)
“Katyń” (Poland)
“Mongol” (Kazakhstan)
“12” (Russia)

Prediction Score: 3/5

Achievement in makeup

“La Vie en Rose”
“Norbit”
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”

Prediction Score: 1/3

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“Atonement”
“The Kite Runner”
“Michael Clayton”
“Ratatouille”
“3:10 to Yuma”

Prediction Score: 3/5

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Falling Slowly” from “Once”
“Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted”
“Raise It Up” from “August Rush”
“So Close” from “Enchanted”
“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted”

Prediction Score: 2/5

Best animated short film

“I Met the Walrus”
“Madame Tutli-Putli”
“Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)”
“My Love (Moya Lyubov)”
“Peter & the Wolf” (BreakThru Films)

Best live action short film

“At Night”
“Il Supplente (The Substitute)”
“Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)”
“Tanghi Argentini”
“The Tonto Woman”

Achievement in sound editing

“The Bourne Ultimatum”
“No Country for Old Men”
“Ratatouille”
“There Will Be Blood”
“Transformers”

Prediction Score: 3/5

Achievement in sound mixing

“The Bourne Ultimatum”
“No Country for Old Men”
“Ratatouille”
“3:10 to Yuma”
“Transformers”

Prediction Score: 2/5

Achievement in visual effects

“The Golden Compass”
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”
“Transformers”

Prediction Score: 1/3

Adapted screenplay

“Atonement”
“Away from Her”
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“No Country for Old Men”
“There Will Be Blood”

Prediction Score: 4/5

Original screenplay

“Juno”
“Lars and the Real Girl”
“Michael Clayton”
“Ratatouille”
“The Savages”

Prediction Score: 4/5

Blood Spilled on Greenwood's Oscar Dreams

Johnny Greenwood's There Will Be Blood score is ineligible with Oscar according to The Envelope. Why do they have to announce these things so late in the day? Hmph. I've switched my prediction to Beltram's 3:10 To Yuma score.

Happy Nomination Day everyone!
It feels like the announcement passes in a mere ten seconds but the wrath of the supporters of Oscar's annual snubees is always fun.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Final Oscar Predictions: Picture & Director

I've been mulling this over for a long time and I'm still not completely sure. I'm confident that No Country and Michael Clayton will make the lineup, as they seem to have had the strongest presence in all of the major precursors. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is similar to last year's Pan's Labyrinth, and that wasn't nominated, but it did get the PGA, and will probably have a strong presence elsewhere, so I'm gonna predict it. I feel like Atonement isn't popular enough, but its guilds snub means little considering Eastwood's Jima wasn't included there last year, and made it with just the NBR and LAFCA, when Atonement has the Globe. Plus it's SO Oscar. I just can't leave it out. So that leaves me with the choice of Penn's seemingly popular (at least with the actors) Into The Wild, the seeming popular (with everyone) Juno, and the seemingly popular (with the critics) There Will Be Blood. In a race this tight Blood will probably have to rely on a lot of #1 ballots, and I'm not convinced your average voter is going to prefer this to the other two. It's just so dark and heavy. By contrast Juno's style of comedy -- even in a year distinctly lacking in that -- may feel a little frivolous for Oscar. So I've decided, finally, that Into the Wild will be my fifth prediction.

Picture

Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men


Director

Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country For Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joe Wright - Atonement

Final Oscar Predictions: Acting


Actress in a Leading Role


Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away From Her
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page – Juno


Reasoning: It's tight for the fifth place in this line-up, but despite her film's scathingly bad reviews, Cate Blanchett's performance, the essence of 'thespian', should prevail over her other three competitors. I hope not though, because if she does, I'm going to have to see the pile of crap.




Actor in a Leading Role


George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd
Emile Hirsch – Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises

Reasoning: They seem to have the strongest films, bar McAvoy, who, despite his brilliance, is more the victim of the film than the dynamic active lead.




Actress in a Supporting Role

Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There
Catherine Keener – Into the Wild
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton


Reasoning: AMPAS seem to love Keener, and she's gotten more attention than Vanessa Redgrave. I don't like Ruby Dee's performance so I can't bring myself to predict her.


Actor in a Supporting Role

Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James…
Javier Bardem – No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook – Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton

Reasoning: It's Hoffman or Tommy Lee Jones. Both have had big years but Hoffman's has been bigger. I'm pulling for Tommy though. Tom Wilkinson could be snubbed for them both, but I think this is a more realistic line-up.

Final Oscar Predictions: Writing & Design


Original Screenplay

Juno
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages

Reasoning:
The WGA noms plus Ratatouille. I dropped Lars and the Real Girl because I think it can only get in if Gosling does, and I'm not predicting Ryan.

Adapted Screenplay


Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Reasoning:
I'm going on the strength of the film because I don't think there are any particularly dominant screenplays in this race.

Art Direction

Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

Reasoning:
'Period' films usually dominate this category.

Costume Design

3:10 To Yuma
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Lust, Caution
Sweeney Todd

Reasoning:
Ditto.

Make Up

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
La Vie En Rose
Sweeney Todd

Reasoning:
Of the shortlist these three are by far the most popular.

Final Oscar Predictions: Techs & Sound


Cinematography

The Assassination of Jesse James (Roger Deakins)
Atonement (Seamus McGarvey)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Janusz Kaminski)
No Country For Old Men (Roger Deakins)
There Will Be Blood (Robert Elswit)

Reasoning: The ASC nominees and general consensus, although Into the Wild could make an appearance here, should it turn out to be the major force some think it will be.

Film Editing

Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men

Reasoning: Usually similar to the BP lineup. Bourne's quality editing has become common knowledge.


Visual Effects

300
The Bourne Ultimatum
Transformers

Reasoning: For all its faults 300's FX are so blatantly marvellous. I think the Bourne film is gonna do well in the techs since it got raves and obviously has technical fans if CAS and BAFTA are anything to go by.


Sound Mixing

American Gangster
Hairspray
No Country For Old Men
Sweeney Todd
Transformers

Reasoning: Anything remotely musical, technically assured + POPULAR.

Sound Editing

300
The Bourne Ultimatum
Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At Worlds End
Ratatouille
Transformers

Reasoning: Animated films tend to do well here. The rest are guesses.



Original Score

Atonement (Dario Marianelli)
Eastern Promises (Howard Shore)
The Kite Runner (Alberto Iglesias)
Lust, Caution (Alexander Desplat)
There Will Be Blood (Johnny Greenwood)

Reasoning: Well-known people with a presence in the precursors.

Original Song

Enchanted ('That's How You Know')
Hairspray ('Come So Far')
Into the Wild ('Guaranteed')
Love In The Time Of Cholera ('Despedida')
Once ('Falling Slowly')

Reasoning: The BFCA noms plus Shakira.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Final Predictions: Animated, Documentary & Foreign

Animated Feature

Persepolis
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

Reasoning: These seem to be the only three with enough fans. Bee Movie may have some but The Simpsons are part of America's iconography really, and thus will surely be included.

Documentary Feature

In The Shadow of the Moon
Into Great Silence
No End in Sight
Sicko
Taxi to the Dark Side

Reasoning: No End In Sight seems to be the most popular critical choice. Is it possible to ignore Michael Moore? And the other three are the only ones eligible that I could find mentioned in any critics nominations this year.

Foreign Language Film

12 (Russia)
The Counterfeiters (Austria)
Days of Darkness (Canada)
Katyn (Poland)
The Trap (Serbia)

Reasoning: Anything involving war, repression, and/or somebody AMPAS may have vaguely heard of has to be at an advantage.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

And the Nominations Cease

That's it for this awards season's major nominations before the ones that matter. In the next week leading up to the announcement of the Oscar nominees on Tuesday January 22nd I'll be summarising all the major races as best I can and will attempt to somehow put together a list of predictions. This year is one of the toughest to predict.

BAFTA Nominations

Generally good except the American Gangster love and the Angelina Jolie snub. Knightley deserved a nomination for Pride and Prejudice but not for this. Definitely a make-up nom, and part of the general love for the film here.

BEST FILM

AMERICAN GANGSTER – Brian Grazer/Ridley Scott
ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Scott Rudin/Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – JoAnne Sellar/Paul Thomas Anderson/Daniel Lupi

BEST BRITISH FILM
ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster/Joe Wright/Christopher Hampton
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Frank Marshall/Patrick Crowley/Paul L Sandberg/Paul Greengrass/Tony Gilroy/Scott Z Burns/George Nolfi
CONTROL – Orian Williams/ Todd Eckert/Anton Corbijn/Matt Greenhalgh
EASTERN PROMISES – Paul Webster/Robert Lantos/David Cronenberg/Steve Knight
THIS IS ENGLAND – Mark Herbert/Shane Meadows

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD
for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film

CHRIS ATKINS (Director/Writer) – Taking Liberties
MIA BAYS (Producer) – Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
SARAH GAVRON (Director) – Brick Lane
MATT GREENHALGH (Writer) – Control
ANDREW PIDDINGTON (Director/Writer) – The Killing of John Lennon

DIRECTOR
ATONEMENT – Joe Wright
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Paul Greengrass
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Paul Thomas Anderson

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMERICAN GANGSTER – Steven Zaillian
JUNO – Diablo Cody
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
MICHAEL CLAYTON – Tony Gilroy
THIS IS ENGLAND – Shane Meadows

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
ATONEMENT – Christopher Hampton
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY – Ronald Harwood
THE KITE RUNNER – David Benioff
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Paul Thomas Anderson

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY – Kathleen Kennedy/Jon Kilik/Julian Schnabel
THE KITE RUNNER – William Horberg/Walter Parkes/Rebecca Yeldham/Marc Foster
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann/Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
LUST, CAUTION – Bill Kong/James Schamus/Ang Lee
LA VIE EN ROSE – Alain Goldman/Olivier Dahan

ANIMATED FILM
RATATOUILLE – Brad Bird
SHREK THE THIRD – Chris Miller
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE – Matt Groening/James L Brooks

LEADING ACTOR
GEORGE CLOONEY – Michael Clayton
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – There Will Be Blood
JAMES McAVOY – Atonement
VIGGO MORTENSEN – Eastern Promises
ULRICH MÜHE – The Lives of Others

LEADING ACTRESS
CATE BLANCHETT – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
JULIE CHRISTIE – Away From Her
MARION COTILLARD – La Vie en Rose
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – Atonement
ELLEN PAGE – Juno

SUPPORTING ACTOR
JAVIER BARDEM – No Country for Old Men
PAUL DANO – There Will Be Blood
TOMMY LEE JONES – No Country for Old Men
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Charlie Wilson’s War
TOM WILKINSON – Michael Clayton

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
CATE BLANCHETT – I’m Not There
KELLY MACDONALD – No Country for Old Men
SAMANTHA MORTON – Control
SAOIRSE RONAN – Atonement
TILDA SWINTON – Michael Clayton

MUSIC
AMERICAN GANGSTER – Marc Streitenfeld
ATONEMENT – Dario Marianelli
THE KITE RUNNER – Alberto Iglesias
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Jonny Greenwood
LA VIE EN ROSE – Christopher Gunning

CINEMATOGRAPHY
AMERICAN GANGSTER – Harris Savides
ATONEMENT – Seamus McGarvey
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Oliver Wood
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Roger Deakins
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Robert Elswit

EDITING
AMERICAN GANGSTER – Pietro Scalia
ATONEMENT – Paul Tothill
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Christopher Rouse
MICHAEL CLAYTON – John Gilroy
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Roderick Jaynes

PRODUCTION DESIGN
ATONEMENT – Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE – Guy Hendrix Dyas/Richard Roberts
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX – Stuart Craig/Stephenie McMillan
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Jack Fisk/Jim Erickson
LA VIE EN ROSE – Olivier Raoux

COSTUME DESIGN
ATONEMENT – Jacqueline Durran
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE – Alexandra Byrne
LUST, CAUTION – Pan Lai
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET – Colleen Atwood
LA VIE EN ROSE – Marit Allen

SOUND
ATONEMENT – Danny Hambrook/Paul Hamblin/Catherine Hodgson
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/Dave Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Peter Kurland/Skip Lievsay/Craig Berkey/Greg Orloff
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Christopher Scarabosio/Matthew Wood/John Pritchett/Michael Semanick/Tom Johnson
LA VIE EN ROSE – Laurent Zeilig/Pascal Villard/Jean-Paul Hurier/Marc Doisne

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Peter Chiang/Charlie Noble/Mattias Lindahl/Joss Williams
THE GOLDEN COMPASS – Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Woods
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX – Tim Burke/John Richardson/Emma Norton/Chris Shaw
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END – John Knoll/Charles Gibson/Hal Hickel/John Frazier
SPIDER-MAN 3 – Scott Stokdyk/Peter Nofz/Kee-Suk Ken Hahn/Spencer Cook

MAKE UP & HAIR
ATONEMENT – Ivana Primorac
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE – Jenny Shircore
HAIRSPRAY – Nominees TBC
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET – Ivana Primorac
LA VIE EN ROSE – Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne

SHORT ANIMATION
THE PEARCE SISTERS – Jo Allen/Luis Cook
HEAD OVER HEELS – Osbert Parker/Fiona Pitkin/Ian Gouldstone
THE CRUMBLEGIANT – Pearse Moore/John McCloskey

SHORT FILM
DOG ALTOGETHER – Diarmid Scrimshaw/Paddy Considine
HESITATION – Julien Berlan/Michelle Eastwood/Virginia Gilbert
THE ONE AND ONLY HERB MCGWYER PLAYS WALLIS ISLAND – Charlie Henderson/James Griffiths/Tim Key/Tom Basden
SOFT – Jane Hooks/Simon Ellis
THE STRONGER – Dan McCulloch/Lia Williams/Frank McGuinness

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
(voted for by the public)
SHIA LABEOUF
SIENNA MILLER
ELLEN PAGE
SAM RILEY
TANG WEI

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Brit Award Nominations

Woohooo! Girls Aloud finally get noticed! Loving the Bat For Lashes and Bjork nominations too.

BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST


JAMIE T
MARK RONSON
MIKA
NEWTON FAULKNER
RICHARD HAWLEY

BRITISH FEMALE SOLO ARTIST

BAT FOR LASHES
KATE NASH
KT TUNSTALL
LEONA LEWIS
PJ HARVEY

BRITISH GROUP

ARCTIC MONKEYS
EDITORS
GIRLS ALOUD
KAISER CHIEFS
TAKE THAT

MASTERCARD BRITISH ALBUM

ARCTIC MONKEYS – FAVOURITE WORST NIGHTMARE
LEONA LEWIS - SPIRIT
MARK RONSON – VERSION
MIKA – LIFE IN CARTOON MOTION
TAKE THAT – BEAUTIFUL WORLD

BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT

BAT FOR LASHES
KATE NASH
KLAXONS
LEONA LEWIS
MIKA

BRITISH LIVE ACT

ARCTIC MONKEYS
KAISER CHIEFS
KLAXONS
MUSE
TAKE THAT

BRITISH SINGLE

LEONA LEWIS – Bleeding Love
MIKA – Grace Kelly
TAKE THAT – Shine
KAISER CHIEFS – Ruby
SUGABABES – About You Now
MARK RONSON Ft AMY WINEHOUSE – Valerie
KATE NASH – Foundations
THE HOOSIERS – Worried About Ray
JAMES BLUNT – 1973
MUTYA BUENA – Real Girl

INTERNATIONAL MALE SOLO ARTIST

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
KANYE WEST
MICHAEL BUBLE
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
TIMBALAND

INTERNATIONAL FEMALE SOLO ARTIST

ALICIA KEYS
BJORK
FEIST
KYLIE MINOGUE
RIHANNA

INTERNATIONAL GROUP

ARCADE FIRE
EAGLES
FOO FIGHTERS
KINGS OF LEON
WHITE STRIPES

INTERNATIONAL ALBUM

ARCADE FIRE – NEON BIBLE
EAGLES – LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN
FOO FIGHTERS – ECHOES SILENCE PATIENCE & GRACE
KINGS OF LEON – BECAUSE OF THE TIMES
KYLIE MINOGUE – X

CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARD

ADELE

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY

The show takes place on Wednesday 20th February.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Producers Guild {Nominations}

I don't know what to make of things anymore.

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax)
“Juno” (Fox Searchlight)
“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax/Paramount Vantage)
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage/Miramax)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN ANIMATED THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

“Bee Movie” (Dreamworks Animation)
“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation)
“The Simpsons Movie” (20th Century FOX)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN DOCUMENTARY THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

“Body Of War” (Phil Donahue Productions/Mobilus Media)
“Hear And Now” (HBO)
“Pete Seeger: The Power Of Song” (The Weinstein Company)
“Sicko” (The Weinstein Company)
“White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki” (HBO)

Golden Globe Winners!

Woohoo! Atonement finally wins something. Well deserved. Schnabel's win makes him look strong but even if the DGA pick him, will Oscar? I'm glad Sweeney Todd and Johnny managed to win.

Best Picture: Atonement
Best Actor, Drama:
Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Actress, Drama:
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Picture Comedy/Musical:
Sweeney Todd
Best Screenplay:
No Country for Old Men
Best Actor Musical/Comedy: Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Best Director:
Julian Schnabel, Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Best Actress - Musical Comedy: Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Animated Film:
Ratatouille
Best Song: Guaranteed
Best Score: Atonement
Best Foreign Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly


Prediction Score: 10/14 - I did well!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Bridge To Terabithia (2007)

Bridge To Terabithia
Directed by Gabor Csupo
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Bailee Madison, Robert Patrick, Zooey Deschanel
Grade: B
(This review contains major spoilers)

Things are not always as they seem. Upon first glance Gabor Csupo's Bridge To Terabithia (adapted from Katherine Paterson's book of the same name) looks every inch the magical children's fantasy, but in truth is a long way away from that. Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) is a shy ten year-old living on a farm with his big but relatively poor family. When new girl Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb) outruns him in the school sports day he resents her presence but soon perks up when she takes a keen interest in his drawing hobby. The two make friends and together explore the neighbouring farmland together, creating an imaginary land Terabithia, in which their real-life problems are tackled through their imagination; the school bully transformed into a giant troll, and so forth.

For the most part the screenwriters know exactly what to push and what not to push, introducing themes of child abuse, neglect, grief, and making none of these issues feel out of place, half-hearted or banded around for the mere sake of it. It even includes questionable parents that are neither token villains nor epiphanic figures, and don't really seem to learn anything in the film. If somebody asked you to write a book or a film about growing up, where on earth do you start? Terabithia draws all of its characters with such truth, and a knowledge of what it really means to be a kid, juxtaposing the honesty of these characters with the archetypal constructs of their inner demons in the imaginary world. The film's uncompromised vision is extended to what is its most touching element, the central relationship. Jesse and Leslie are never reduced to a cute couple, and there's never any blatant hell-for-leather attempt to suggest that they're going to be. Terabithia achieves most of what it achieves through this careful approach, crafting a relationship out of solace, and a fantasy world out of escapism.

It comes as an overwhelming shock then -- not really in the sense of tone or theme, but approach -- that after spending the first act of the film endearing Leslie to us, she is then killed off on the hour mark. Far be it from me to criticise something for not adhering to genre convention but if this knocked me for six, what is it going to do to the average 8-10 year-old who see this film, and probably don't even understand death? The event itself is cinematically problematic but when coupled with the film's marketing techniques makes Terabithia seem the insidious picture that at heart it really isn't. Death isn't used in the film to make the point but rather to re-enforce it, her presence in the film and lack thereof used to strengthen Jesse's arc, which is admittedly very touching. I feel harsh laying into a film that gets so much right, but the one thing it gets wrong is close to horrific. Leslie as a character, and her death, really calls into question her role in the film, her purity and apparent perfection almost suggest she be the film's 'angel' and not a character at all. There's no doubting that she has the most impact of any character but curiously her own family troubles are explored somewhat, which now makes me wonder why.

The oustanding uncertainty, and the overall lack of any real closure, will not please the film's average audience, yet for us who have lived through childhood and adolescence it strikes a telling chord. It takes a well-made picture to use death so brashly and abruptly and yet not feel manipulative. It stumbles a little in its final act but Terabithia is a gutsy and beautiful film because crucially, it knows what it wants to say, and doesn't need to jump through your hoops to say it.

Central Ohio Film Critics {Winners}

Best Films
1. No Country for Old Men
2. The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)
3. Juno
4. Once
5. There Will Be Blood
6. Lars and the Real Girl
7. 3:10 to Yuma
8. The Savages
9. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon)

Best Director
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl

Best Actress
Ellen Page, Juno
Runner-up: Amy Adams, Enchanted

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Ben Foster, 3:10 to Yuma

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Runner-up: Emily Mortimer, Lars and the Real Girl

Best Ensemble
No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: 3:10 to Yuma

Actor of the Year - For an exemplary body of work
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead , Charlie Wilson's War,
and The Savages

Breakthrough Film Artist
Sarah Polley, Away from Her (for directing and screenwriting)
Runner-up: Ellen Page, Juno (for acting)

Best Cinematography
Óscar Faura, The Orphanage (El Orfanato)
Runner-up: Roger Deakins, No Country for Old Men

Best Screenplay – Adapted
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Best Screenplay – Original
Diablo Cody, Juno
Runner-up: Tamara Jenkins, The Savages

Best Score
Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, Once
Runner-up: Dario Marianelli, Atonement

Best Documentary
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Runners-up (tie): In the Shadow of the Moon and No End in Sight

Best Foreign Language Film
The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)
Runner-up: The Orphanage (El Orfanato)

Best Animated Film
Rataouille
Runner-up: Paprika

Best Overlooked Film
Air Guitar Nation
Runner-up: The Lookout

Golden Globe Predictions

I'm gonna keep this brief because this awards season is so crazy I literally have no idea who the Globes are going to pick here.

Best Motion Picture - Drama

American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Prediction: Atonement. Having only seen four of these it is by far my favourite. It seems to be treading water in this race but it could be just that little bit late to hit it hard. I hope so anyway. It's the nomination leader so I'm picking it to win.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away From Her
Jodie Foster – The Brave One
Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley – Atonement

Prediction: I've seen all but Blanchett. My favourite here is the stunning Julie Christie but I wouldn't mind a Jolie win, given that she won't win anything else. I think Christie will grab this prize.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy – Atonement
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington – American Gangster

Prediction: Having seen all of these except the frontrunner and probable winner, Daniel Day Lewis, I'm rooting for James McAvoy. Clooney should be close though.

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Across The Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Prediction: Interesting. Any of these could win. If Juno manages to take this award it means it'll be incredibly strong for Oscar, given that they nearly always pick a musical. I think they're gonna go for Sweeney here.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Amy Adams – Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky – Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
Ellen Page – Juno

Prediction: Cotillard Vs. Page with Adams an outside shot. Blonsky is a little fish and I'd be surprised (but delighted) if she were to win here. They'll have to adore Hairspray. I'm going for Cotillard.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy

Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ryan Gosling – Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks – Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Savages
John C. Reilly – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Prediction: They love Johnny, and why shouldn't they?

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Cate Blanchett – I'm Not There
Julia Roberts – Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

Prediction: As much as I'd like Tilda Swinton to win she's probably the only one of these five who doesn't stand a chance. I think they may go for child star Saoirse Ronan, and back up their nomination leader some more. Boy does it need backing up lately.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Casey Affleck – The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem – No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta – Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton

Prediction: Come on John Travolta!!! I'm picking Bardem though. Haha.

Best Animated Feature Film

Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

Prediction: Overrated rat story.

Best Foreign Language Film

4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days (Romania)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (France, United States)
The Kite Runner (United States)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)

Prediction: I'll be appalled if the offensively simple Kite Runner wins over Ang Lee's gorgeous Lust, Caution. Diving Bell should have no problem here.

Best Director - Motion Picture

Tim Burton – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen – No Country For Old Men
Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Ridley Scott – American Gangster
Joe Wright – Atonement

Prediction: The Coens are stronger than their film here.

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Atonement
Charlie Wilson's War
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Juno
No Country For Old Men

Prediction: I'm gonna go for Juno, since Diablo Cody somehow seems to be making screenwriting fashionable amidst a strike at its base camp.

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

Grace Is Gone
The Kite Runner
Atonement
Eastern Promises
Into The Wild

Prediction: Atonement

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

"Despedida" – Love In The Time Of Cholera
"Grace Is Gone" – Grace Is Gone
"Guaranteed" – Into The Wild
"That's How You Know" – Enchanted
"Walk Hard" – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Prediction: Enchanted!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Writers Guild {Nominations}

Great to see Knocked Up here. Atonement is snubbed by yet another awards body, and I can say snubbed because I've seen Zodiac, and although I like it, it really ain't all that.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

JUNO, Written by Diablo Cody, Fox Searchlight
MICHAEL CLAYTON, Written by Tony Gilroy, Warner Bros. Pictures
THE SAVAGES, Written by Tamara Jenkins, Fox Searchlight
KNOCKED UP, Written by Judd Apatow, Universal Pictures
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, Written by Nancy Oliver, MGM

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, Screenplay by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
THERE WILL BE BLOOD, Screenplay by Paul Thomas Anderson
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
INTO THE WILD, Screenplay by Sean Penn
ZODIAC, Screenplay by James Vanderbilt

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Online Film Critics Society {Awards}

*Yawn*... This top eight is looking ever more like the Oscar Winners.

Picture: No Country For Old Men
Director:
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Actor:
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Actress: Julie Christie - Away From Her
Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Original Screenplay: Juno
Adapted Screenplay: No Country For Old Men
Cinematography:
No Country for Old Men
Editing: No Country For Old Men
Original Score: There Will Be Blood
Documentary: The King of Kong
Foreign Film:
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Animated Film: Ratatouille
Breakthrough Filmmaker: Sarah Polley - Away From Her
Breakthrough Performer: Nikki Blonsky -Hairspray

Hottest Track: David Jordan - Sun Goes Down

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

2007: The Box

I realise this is a little late but with the Golden Globe and SAG coming up I've decided to do my own TV awards for the year of 2007. As I get older I seem to be watching less and less television, which is surely a good sign for my social life. Nevertheless, I have enough to make a solid list.

Best Series (Drama)

Agatha Christie's Marple
*Brothers and Sisters
Coronation Street
ER
Hollyoaks

Best Series (Comedy)

*Gavin and Stacey
Lead Balloon
Ugly Betty

Best Actress in a Leading Role (Drama)

*Sally Field - Brothers and Sisters
Jessica Fox - Hollyoaks
Geraldine McEwan - Agatha Christie's Marple
Lacey Turner - Eastenders

Best Actress in a Leading Role (Comedy)

America Ferrara - Ugly Betty
Ashley Jensen - Extras
*Joanna Page - Gavin and Stacey

Best Actor in a Leading Role (Drama)

Charlie Clements - Eastenders
*James Sutton - Hollyoaks
Shane West - ER

Best Actor in a Leading Role (Comedy)

Jack Dee - Lead Balloon
Ricky Gervais - Extras
*Matthew Horne - Gavin and Stacey

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Calista Flockhart - Brothers and Sisters
*Rachel Griffiths - Brothers and Sisters
Gemma Merna - Hollyoaks
Alison Steadman - Gavin and Stacey
Carly Stenson - Hollyoaks

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Rob Brydon - Gavin and Stacey
Darren Jon-Jeffries - Hollyoaks
John Pickard - Hollyoaks
Sean Power - Lead Balloon
*Matthew Rhys - Brothers and Sisters

Best Ensemble

*Brothers and Sisters
Coronation Street
ER
Gavin and Stacey
Hollyoaks

Best Reality Series

Any Dream Will Do
Big Brother
I'm a Celebrity...
Project Runway
*Strictly Come Dancing

Best Entertainment Programme

Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
The F Word
*The Friday Night Project
The Graham Norton Show
The Paul O'Grady Show


Best Presenter

Simon Amstel - Never Mind the Buzzcocks
David Dimbleby - Question Time
Noel Edmonds - Deal or No Deal
Paul O'Grady - The Paul O'Grady Show
*Jeff Stelling - Gillette Soccer Saturday


Best Game Show

Come Dine With Me
Deal or No Deal
Eggheads
*Eight out of Ten Cats
Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Best Factual Series

Loose Women
Property Ladder
*Question Time
Time Team
Who Do You Think You Are?

Directors Guild {Nominations}

Screwed by the guilds, is that an end to Atonement's oscar hunt this year? Clearly nobody likes a show-off. Here are the nominations:

Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Broadcast Film Critics Association {Winners}

*Yawn*

Best Picture -
No Country for Old Men
Best Directors - Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Best Actress - Julie Christie - Away From Her
Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Best Picture Made for Television -
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Best Documentary -Sicko
Best Family Film - Enchanted
Best Animated Film - Ratatouille
Joel Siegel Humanitarian Award -
Don Cheadle
Best Foreign Language Film -
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Supporting Actress - Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Best Supporting Actor -
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Best Song - Falling Slowly - Once
Best Composer -
Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood
Best Comedy - Juno
Best Young Actor -
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada - The Kite Runner
Best Young Actress - Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Best Screenplay - Diablo Cody - Juno
Best Ensemble - Hairspray

Predicting the Director's Guild

The title of this post may as well be "Predicting Best Picture", because effectively at least four of the five nominated DGA directors go on to have their respective films nominated in the most prestigious category in the cinematic field. Yet the prominent presence of Julian Schnabel in this race instigates problems. I have no doubt that he will be nominated here, and at Oscar, but his film? I'm not so sure. And if Diving Bell isn't in AMPAS' top five this year that means that DGA (going by the past few years) must leave out men with films that have no chance at getting a BP Nom, such as the popular veterans Sidney Lumet and Mike Nichols, and men whose pictures could fail to make the grade, such as Tim Burton, Paul Thomas Anderson, or Ridley Scott.

But that all depends on what you deem to be the strongest films of the moment. A couple of weeks ago I didn't think that There Will Be Blood would cut the mustard with Oscar -- especially in a year where it could end up taking the place of a much-needed comedy or musical. For me the strongest three films are No Country For Old Men, Atonement, and Michael Clayton. I'm basing this on that they're the only three that have maintained their buzz and been a presence at the major precursors (with Atonement's SAG shutout an obvious exception). So the other two must come from either Into the Wild, American Gangster, Juno, Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood, or at a stretch but less likely, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

For me, Into the Wild and American Gangster seem to be the safest two choices on offer, being the least heavy and challenging. That's not a criticism, well certainly not of Into the Wild, which I haven't yet seen, but Gangster certainly doesn't ask much of its audience. Sweeney Todd takes risks with its music and dark subject matter, Juno takes risks with its youthful and daring attitude towards pregnancy, and There Will Be Blood is ambitious and apparentely not always pleasurable. I'd like to think that they will choose at least one of the daring directors, so I'm going to predict one, but it's partly in hope.

My predictions are (In order of most likely):

Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country For Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joe Wright - Atonement
Sean Penn - Into the Wild
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd

Alternate: Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood